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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27512257">Captain Pickaxe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs'>Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Descendants (Disney Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn, inspired by a friend, meet cute</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 04:14:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27512257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Doug goes with Ben to the Isle as backup. He ends up filling a very different role</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Doug/Uma (Disney: Descendants)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title comes from the ship name my friend came up with</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Doug pulled the beanie down further over his eyes. He'd overheard Ben's half-cocked plan to go to the Isle and win Mal back and decided to go along as backup. He'd had worse ideas.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Currently, he was trying to keep up with Ben. His best friend had gone storming off after an argument with Mal and none of the others had noticed and someone had to make sure the king was safe. Unfortunately for both him and Ben, the streets of the Isle we're confusing for anyone who didn't know them well and Doug soon found himself lost, with no Ben in sight. So to sum up: the king is missing, Doug is lost, the VKs probably don’t know where they are, and Doug doesn’t know any usable self-defense moves.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Great.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Doug hunched in on himself and stuck his hands in his pockets, hoping to go unnoticed. He kept his eyes to the ground and accidentally-on-purpose bumped into a few people just to sell it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t thought about how his very clean, tight leather would stand out against the dirtier, looser clothing of most of the other residents and make him just a little bit obvious to anyone who might be interested. And since Gil had informed Uma of the Auradonian visitors, there were plenty of eyes watching.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Doug had the wind knocked out of him when he was picked up and shoved against the wall of a dirty alley. He managed to get a few kicks in before he was knocked out and carried away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Uma had been surprised to hear they brought the king back so soon. Surely Mal and her friends would be guarding Ben with everything they had. But, apparently, he’d just been walking alone near the docks and trying to blend in. It had been all too easy to grab him and catch him off guard. She was very concerned for him; she’d assumed princes were given some level of self-defense training.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But whatever slight happiness she’d been granted with the news that her plan had worked quickly shattered when she saw the king. Or rather, the Not King. “Who is this?” she growled, pointedly not looking at Harry.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Captain I-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want your excuses! Just- Just go! I’ll see you at the shop later.” Sighing heavily, she didn’t look to see if he’d left before turning back to their prisoner. “Who are you and why should I care?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My name is Doug. I’m the son of Dopey and a good friend of King Ben.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Well, if anything was going to lift her mood that would do it. “Good friend of the King, eh?” She shot him a shark-like smile. Perhaps this dolt wasn’t a waste of space after all. “Well, why don’t we discuss a deal then?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Uma has a plan and Doug has some notes</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“What kind of deal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The kind where your life hangs in the balance." Uma grinned. If Doug wasn’t a little scared, he could roll his eyes at how cheesy this was. But he was scared so he decided against making her angry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay… So what is the deal? For what purpose is my life in danger?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Simple: I want off this rock and you are my ticket." She paced while she explained her plan of persuading Ben to exchange the wand for Doug's freedom. Doug watched her with more attention than he'd ever admit to. Despite her short stature, her presence seemed to fill the room. She was naturally dynamic and charismatic, skills that most princes and princesses he'd met had to train themselves to emulate. He had no doubt that if she'd been raised in Atlantica or Auradon in general that she would be hailed as a great leader. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He scoffed to himself and shook his head to clear it. He shouldn't be thinking about that now; he was in danger! And now that he was actually listening to her plan, he had a few notes. "This probably isn't my place to say but-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then don't say it," she scowled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He raised his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm just hearing your plan and I think you're making this harder than it has to be."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And why would I listen to you about what my plan should be?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because I grew up in Auradon and I know just about everything about it and I can think of at least 5 ways this plan can fail before you even get to the coast."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The captain paused and stared at him for a few moments, sizing him up with a calculating glare. "Okay, I’ll bite. Why is my plan going to fail?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, the idea that Ben could persuade Fairy Godmother to relinquish her wand for one child of a sidekick is laughable at best. He does have a whole kingdom to think about and she’s about the only magic user that doesn’t rely on him for permission to do what’s needed. Secondly, Ben could easily have a fake wand made, and since you’ve probably never even seen the wand before it would be easy to trick you with it. Third, magic is blocked on the Isle so even if you did get the real wand it wouldn’t work. Fourth, if by some miracle you did end up with the real wand and it did open the barrier for you, the Royal Navy would be ready with its full force at the shores of Auradon and sink your quaint little ship very easily and no one but Ben would really care if you all died. And fifth, King Triton and his forces in Atlantica would likely be more than happy to take your ship out if you decided to hit the open ocean and hide out for a while. That’s not even going into all the things that could go wrong when the other villains escape.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma considered him for a few moments before storming off and barking orders at her first mate to keep him under close watch. At least he was still alive. Then again, he was tied up in a room with the son of Captain Hook so how much could he really be celebrating that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben made his way back over to the secret hideout where Evie, Jay, and Carlos were worriedly waiting for him. “Ben!” Evie called, running over to check on him. “Are you okay? Did anyone try anything? We should’ve kept a better eye on you but with Mal like this-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine. I’m fine, Evie.” He smiled reassuringly and they all sat in front of the hidden entrance. “I just needed a minute to cool off. I’m fine now I just… I wish I knew what to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carlos pat his shoulder. “We know. We’re just glad you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben nodded and looked around at his friends, his smile falling when he realized he was missing a familiar face. “Guys...where’s Doug?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma paced in her quarters, muttering to herself about half-baked plans and insolent Auradonians. Doug, the friend of the king and son of Dopey the dwarf, was proving to be an interesting captive, to say the least. Initially, he’d seemed scared of her, which she appreciated. But then he started ripping holes in her plan and while she could admit there hadn’t actually been much planning in the plan since this was all last minute, it hurt a little. Still, she wasn’t going to let this smart and witty fellow knock her down. If he really was in the King’s inner circle, he could still prove useful. This was a chance to get intel and form a better plan. Grinning to herself, she marched back down to where her captive was being held and sent Harry out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, I thought about what you said earlier,” she started once they were alone. “And I wanted to say thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you?” She would’ve laughed at his confused expression if she wasn’t in scheming mode.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, of course. You revealed some serious flaws in my plans and I would much rather succeed.” She pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the pole he was tied to. “So I’m going to ask you a few questions, you’re going to answer them, and then I’m going to put together an even better plan to take over Auradon. How does that sound?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doug was silent for a few moments before speaking. “How do you know I won’t just lie and lead you into a trap?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma smirked and leaned forward. “I don’t. But, in case you’ve forgotten, I grew up around liars and crooks. Me and just about anyone else on this ship can spot a lie a mile away. And what I do know is that none of your friends know where you are, assuming they’ve even noticed you’re missing. After all, my current rein over the Isle is pretty new and I doubt they heard anything about it on their side of the bridge; they have no reason to suspect me. I won’t tell them that I have you until you tell me what I need to know and it could take them days to find you, weeks even. How long do you intend to be at my mercy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she didn’t know any better, she would describe the look on his face as calculating. She chose to interpret it as fear. “Well, that certainly is something to think about. So, what do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, a clear sign that they were going to be here for a while. “You can start by telling me everything you know about magic in Auradon. Don’t spare any details, I need to know what I’m dealing with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well….”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So basically magic is banned in all but legal wording. It's 'highly frowned upon' to do anything more than a basic spell without permission from the king." Doug huffed softly as he finished his explanation. The magic situation in Auradon really was complicated, though sometimes it seemed simpler than anyone wanted to make it. "Is there anything else you want to know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma was quiet for a few moments but he recognized her plotting look. "How do the sidekicks feel about the royals?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Depends on who you ask. They haven't really been treated fair by the royals until recently so some are still a little miffed. Others were always on their side and others still are coming around."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She leaned back in her chair as she pondered this. "What happened recently to change their minds?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ben took over. He turned over a lot of the old laws that limited sidekicks to certain areas of work and started the program for financially compensating sidekicks for their work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Has Ben done anything to roll back the magic restrictions?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doug shook his head. "He hasn't seen a need to. But there have been talks in Neverland of making a case for that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma was silent again and Doug became worried he said something wrong. And then: "How do people get their grievances to the king?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He has regular council meetings with various groups. There's a Sidekick Council where most of the grievances come from. He also sits in on inter-kingdom meetings regarding trade and registration."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So Ben makes himself available to his people?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He does his best." That was one of the things he respected most about Ben if he was being honest. “But regardless of what he wants to do, there is still a Royal Council with his parents and Fairy Godmother that he has to contend with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma seemed to consider that for a few moments before standing abruptly. “You’ve given me a lot to think about,” was all she said before she left, shouting orders to keep an eye on him when she made it out to the rest of the ship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doug had to hand it to her, she could certainly handle a crew. And this little interview process showed more strategic skills than he initally gave her credit for. She was determined to win at least and if all she needed was the right information well-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully he didn’t just screw over the whole kingdom. That would be bad. Very bad indeed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Doug? Doug?" Evie called for their missing friend while she walked with Jay in tow. Carlos and Ben had opted to stay behind at the secret hideout in case Doug found his way back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How could this have happened? She'd promised to keep both of them safe and instead she got too caught up in getting Mal back that she lost both of them! They were lucky Ben had been found but it had been hours since any of them had seen Doug and getting lost on the Isle was never a good thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is why I didn't want him to come," Jay said, not for the first time. "Ben was going to be enough trouble and we barely handled that. Now Doug's probably gotten himself kidnapped-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah but by who? Anyone could've taken him. He could be anywhere." She sighed in frustration and sat in an old crate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey." Jay spoke softly and gently pat her shoulder. "We'll find him. Then we'll get Mal and we'll leave. Everything will be fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Evie gave him a weak smile. "I hope you're right…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm a horrible friend."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carlos resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Ben, this isn't your fault."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes it is! I'm the whole reason he was even here!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That doesn't- Look, Ben, Doug knew this was dangerous. We all did. But this isn't on you. Jay and Evie will find him and then we can get Mal and then leave, okay? It's all gonna be fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Been gave him a side-eye. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carlos sighed and shrugged. "Okay it's unlikely but we have to have hope. That's a hero thing, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stared at his gloves silently. He just wanted his friend back and safe and he wanted Mal back in Auradon. Was that too much to ask?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma paced in her cabin, pondering this new information. If Doug was telling the truth, which she was fairly certain he was, maybe she could take a different approach to get off the Isle. If Ben would be open to negotiations….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No! What was she thinking?! She was a villain for evil's sake! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then again…. Ben had invited the children of the worst of the worst. He believed they could be good. And then they did turn good. As irritating as that was, maybe there was something she could take from that. If Ben thought that Mal could be good, maybe he would think Uma could be good too….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled as a plan formed in her mind. Yes. Yes, this would work out much better for her and the Isle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stormed out of her cabin, shouting for Harry. Someone had to deliver a message to the king.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Challenge Approaches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a short set up chapter in preparation for a longer negotiation/action chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Evie and Jay returned to the hideout, sadly without success. “I just don’t know what could’ve happened to him. I mean, we didn’t even hear anybody talking about the weird kid who gets lost all the time. Someone had to have seen where he ended up!” Jay groaned and sat on a rotting crate. “So now what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carlos shrugged. “We can give it a few minutes and then go out looking again.” It was a long shot and a major one at that but what else could they do?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shadowy figure approached them, causing the three VKs to stand on guard. “Is that…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry Hook, at yer service.” The pirate grinned in his usual maniacal way and mock bowed to the king. “I’ve come to deliver a message to ya, and if ye want ta see yer friend again, I recommend you hear it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stood up. “Of course I want to hear it. What have you done with Doug?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing too drastic, just a little interrogation." He laughed when Jay visibly tensed. "No worries, laddie, Uma was the only one there with him. Not even I got a taste."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Evie scoffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Is that all you came here to tell us?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nope." He giggled and stepped closer, brandishing his hook. "Uma wants an audience with his majesty to negotiate our release. Ye want yer friend back, come talk to her on her ship. At noon. Bring all the friends ye like." With that, he mock-bowed again and left with a whistle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Been stared after him before turning back to face his friends. "What are we going to do?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence hung heavy among the crew. This was not going to be an easy fix. Not even a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doug was just sitting in his little captive cell when a blond boy (Gil, he remembered) came bounding down the stairs. “Hey, Doug! Uma wants you to come on deck now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d suspected Uma had some plan regarding what he told her. What worried him was her questions towards the end about Ben specifically. Not that that had stopped him from answering. Something about Uma was just so magnetic that he couldn't help himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop it. You've screwed up enough.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight on deck. It was a very overcast day on the Isle but the sun still managed to filter through. Glancing around, he saw Uma waiting near the center of the deck, where a few other crew members were waiting with rope. He swallowed hard but made no attempt to struggle. Even if he could escape Gil’s hold, there’s no way he’d get anywhere fast. Better to just ride it out and see how it all went down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uma grinned at him as they approached, victory clear on her face. He idly thought that her face was awfully pretty when she looked happy as he was bound to the mast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was screwed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So let me get this straight.” Mal stared at the wall she’d just been spraying. “You guys come here, despite me telling you to leave me alone. You bring Ben </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Doug, despite knowing they wouldn’t be able to handle themselves. You then take your eyes off of them for some reason and then have the gall to act shocked when one of them ends up missing.” She turned and fixed them all with a steely glare. “Now, we have to deal with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uma</span>
  </em>
  <span> if we all want to get back in one piece.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben smiled weakly. “Yeah…. That’s about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mal groaned and stomped over to the bed, flopping back on the lumpy mattress. “I cannot believe you guys. We’re lucky Ben wasn’t the one that was taken! And now Uma has Doug completely at her mercy and, knowing her, the condition we get her back in is going to be entirely dependent on how much she likes the results of this little meeting. Also knowing her, she wants the barrier removed and the throne to Auradon. So, basically, your options are 1) screw over your friend or 2) screw over your people. Not looking great for us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know that, Mal.” Evie attempted a counter-argument. “I don’t know how far this thing with Uma goes but from what I know, she’s smart. She should know she won’t get anything like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“E, don’t.” mal shot her a glare. “I know Uma; she’s guided by her emotions more than strategy. Believe me, she’ll shoot high and she won’t go any lower. That’s why we need to have a plan to get Doug out of there without giving into Uma’s wild demands.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stayed quiet while the VKs plotted. He was more than happy to acknowledge their expertise on Isle matters but something about their assessment felt off. If she wanted to attack, why wouldn’t she demand that Ben come alone. Furthermore, why not just take Ben to begin with? A king would be a much better bargaining chip than someone who most people regarded to be a side piece. He just knew something deeper was going on here. Or maybe he was wildly deluding himself. Regardless, he knew he was going into these negotiations fairly; he just needed to convince Mal and the others not to act without his say so. Ben could handle diplomatic relations easily but it would be a lot harder if he had a bunch of loose cannons standing behind him. He just needed to be smart about this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Really, really smart.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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